Steam-engine lubricator.



D. MOREHOUSE. STEAM ENGINE LUBRIGATOR}. APPLICATION FILED FEB.9,1912.

Patented May 14, 1912. ..Z.

WITNESSES momma DAVID MOREHOUSE, 0F DELPHOS, OHIO.

STEAM-ENGINE LUBRICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 9, 1912. Serial No. 676,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID MOREHOUSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Delphos, in the county of Allen and State of Ohio, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engine Lubricators, of which the following is a speci fication.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for lubricating steam engines, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

The invention is more particularly designed to be used in connection with engines using superheated steam.

An object of the invention is to provide a device in which successful lubrication may be accomplished in spite of the high temperature of the superheated steam, which cannot be accomplished by mean of an ordinary lubricating device.

A further object of my .invention is to provide a device in which the lubrication of the parts is effected irrespective of the high steam chest pressure, since the lubricating fluid is delivered directly to the bearing faces before being exposed to the high pressure or to the maximum temperature of the steam.

A further object of my invention is to provide automatic means for preventing the back pressure upon the lubricating fluid at all times.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a transverse section through a slide valve andvalve chest, Fig. 9. is a longitudinal section-through a slide valve and valve chest, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the face or bottom of the valve, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the valve seat, and Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of a portion of one of the valvestrips.

In carrying out my invention I provide a valve-chest 1 of the usual shape. Suspended from the top of the chest is a pressure plate 2, this plate being connected with the top by means of the integral lugs 3. As will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the valve seat 4 is provided with the usual ports 5 and the exhaust port 6. Fig. 4 shows grooves 7 in the face of the valve seat 4, these grooves running parallel with the illlet and exhaust ports and being provided with laterally extending port-ions 7 at the ends of the grooves. The purpose of these groove will be explained later.

At 8 is an oil port, this port communicating with an oil supply pipe 9. The slide valve proper, V, is provided on its lower side with a central recess 10 and with the transverse end grooves 11 and 11 The upper side of the valve is provided with a recess 12 and with grooves 13 for the reception of valve strips 14 like that shown in Fig. 5. These strips 14 have a slight play for a purpose hereinafter described.

Extending through the body portion of the valve on each side thereof are passages 15 and 15", the former establishing communication between the ends of the end grooves 11 and 11 in the face of the valve and the latter establishing communication with the grooves 11 and 11 at their opposite ends, as clearly shown in the drawings. The strips 14 which are disposed in the grooves 13 are provided with grooves 14 on their upper edges which communicate by means of ports or passages such as those shown at 14 with passages o leading to the passages 15 and 15 respectively. The valve V is manipulated by the usual valve rod R which extends into the valve chest and is connected with the valve by means of the yoke 1'.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood. The oil flows by the pipe 9, through the port 8 into the end groove 11 in the bottom of the valve, thence by means of the passages 15 and 15 to the opposite end groove 11*. The oil also flows through the communicating passages '0 and 14 to the grooves 14 in the strips PatentedMay14,1912.

these strips 14 will be held closely against the shoulders formed by the sides of the grooves 13 so that the passages 41* and 14 will be in registration and the joint between these passages will be steam tight. Consider now the grooves 7. It will be noted that the laterally extending portions 7 X will, during the movement of the valve, come into registration with the grooves 11. The extension of the groove 7 around the corners of the valve by means of the lateral portions 7 has the effect of keeping the groove 7 in communication with the grooves 11 and 11 a greater length of time than if these extensions 7 were not provided. This results in a more free flow of oil and in practice has been found to increase the etficiency of the lubricating device.

It will be seen from the above construction that the oil is supplied to the bearing parts, 2'. 0., to the faces of the pressure plate 2 and the valve seat 4 without being subjected to the direct steam pressure, and without being subjected to the maximum heat of the steam. The result is that the device serves admirably for use with engines in which superheated steam is employed as a motive fluid. It has been supposed heretofore that it would be impossible to adequately lubricate the slide valve when the engine is being run on short cut-off with an open throttle. lVith my device however it is possible to do this very satisfactorily.

Another feature to which I desire to call attention is the provision of the strips 14. As longas the steam pressure is on, these strips will be held closely against the shoulders formed by the groove 13 as before stated, and will make a steam-tight joint between the oil passages 41* and 14 When the steam is shut off however these strips will slack slightly away from the shoulders and will allow the oil to drip down and lubricate the face of the strip. The strips 14:, of course, may be removed at any time and other strips substituted when they become worn. The oiled face of the strips serves to aid in keeping the joint between the passages 41* and 14 steam-tight.

Another important feature is the fact that the oil grooves and passages throu h the valve form auxiliary storage means for the oil while the valve is at rest thus holding the oil in reserve to lubricate the valve when it is again set in motion. This is a great advantage over the common practice in which an average of twenty minutes is allowed for the oil to get from the lubricator to the face of the valve, since the oil can only travel from the lubricator by gravitation. With my device however the supply of oil is practically instantaneous, because as soon as the valve begins to travel the oil is being fed to the bearing surfaces.

I am aware that other forms of the device based upon the same general plan might be made, but I consider as my own all such modifications as fairly fall within the spirit and the scope of the invention.

I claim 1. The combination with a valve chest having an inner upper bearing surface, of a valve seat having inlet and exhaust ports, an oil supply passage and oil grooves running parallel with said inlet and exhaust ports and being provided with lateral extensions at their ends, a valve having end grooves in its bottom arranged to be brought into registration with said oil grooves and said oil supply passage, said valve being provided with grooves on its upper side, bearing strips disposed in the grooves on the upper side of the valve and arranged to bear on said bearing surface, said bearing strips being provided with oil grooves adjacent to said bearing surface, and registering oil passages in said bearing strips and in the body of the valve for establishing communication between the end grooves in the bottom of the valve and the grooves in the bearing strips.

2. The combination with a valvechest, of a pressure plate disposed within the valve chest and secured to the top thereof, a valve seat having inlet and exhaust ports, an oil supply passage and oil grooves running parallel with said inlet and exhaust ports and being provided with lateral extensions at their ends, a valve having end grooves in its bottom arranged to be brought into registration with said oil grooves and said oil supply passage, said valve being provided with grooves on its upper side, bearing strips disposed in the grooves on the upper side of the valve and arranged to bear on said pressure plate, said bearing strips being provided with oil grooves adjacent to said pressure plate, and registering oil passages in said bearing strips and in the body of the valve for establishing communication between the end grooves in the bottom of the valve and the grooves in the bearing strips.

8. The combination with a valve chest, of a pressure plate disposed within the valve chest and secured to the top thereof, a valve seat having inlet and exhaust ports, an oil supply passage and oil grooves running parallel with said inlet and exhaust ports and being provided with lateral extensions at their ends, a valve having end grooves in its bottom arranged to be brought into registration with said oil grooves and said oil with oil grooves adjacent to said pressure plate, and registering oil passages in said strips and the body of the Valve, thereby bearing strips and in the body of the valve permitting oil to enter between the strips for establishing communication between the and the adjacent sides of the grooves.

end grooves in the bottom of the valve and DAVID MOREHOUSE. the grooves in the bearing strips, the move- Witnesses:

ment of said bearing strips serving to break C. C. Erase,

the registration of the oil grooves in the N. E. BRUNDAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

